Fuji reveals full details of new 23mm f/2 ‘weather-resistant’ lens

Fuji has today revealed full details of its new 23mm f/2 R WR lens, due out at the end of next month.

First announced earlier this summer, the Fujinon XF23mm f/2 R WR will also be available in a silver colour version from next January.

Boasting a similar size and design to those of the current Fuji 35mm f/2, the ‘weather- and dust-resistant’ lens should deliver the equivalent of a 35mm lens in 35mm format.

The 10-element-in-six-groups optic includes two aspherical elements.

A stepping motor aims to deliver fast and quiet AF.

The XF23mm f/2 R WR weighs 180g and will cost £419.

In 2017, Fuji is due to launch two more similarly styled primes: a 50mm f/2 R WR and 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro, with the latter offering a 1:1 macro ratio.

The 80mm lens will replace the 120mm that Fuji had originally planned but decided to drop because the company believed it would not be of an acceptable size and weight.

The firm also had to ensure the lens would be compatible with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters.

Press releaseFUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has announced that it will release a new FUJINON lens XF23mmF2 R WR, in late September 2016* to join the line-up of interchangeable lenses for the X Series of digital cameras. Fujifilm’s X-Series cameras are known for their outstanding image quality based on the company’s proprietary colour reproduction technology.

The new lens has a highly versatile focal length equivalent to 35mm (in the 35mm film format), covering a range of subjects from snapshots to landscapes and portraits. Its compact and lightweight design and high-speed AF capability allow users to enjoy taking snapshots spontaneously.

The XF23mmF2 R WR is a wide-angle lens with advanced image resolution, capable of drawing out the full performance of Fujifilm’s proprietary X-TRANS CMOS sensor. It has a similar size and design flair of the existing XF35mmF2 to make up a stylish collection of compact lenses. The inner-focus AF system uses a stepping motor** to drive the focusing group of lens elements for silent and fast autofocus.

The metal exterior gives a sense of premium quality and robustness, and the aperture ring and focus ring have been designed for optimum operability. The lens is also weather and dust resistant and operates at temperatures as low as -10°C, making it an ideal choice for outdoor photography.

*Black model: Late September 2016, Silver model: January 2017

**The type of motor that rotates only at a fixed angle in response to an electrical pulse signal, and is used in precision positioning.

Product features

Advanced image quality ・ The lens consists of ten elements in six groups, including two aspherical elements. The optimum positioning of the aspherical elements ensures flatness of the image plane for edge-to-edge sharpness. ・ The aspherical elements are used as part of the focusing group to minimise performance fluctuations between different focal distances.

Compact, lightweight and stylish design for great operability ・ The lens weighs just 180g. ・ The metal exterior, modeled after the design of XF35mmF2 R WR, gives a sense of premium quality and robustness. ・ The compact and stylish form factor almost completely eliminates mechanical vignetting*** when using the optical viewfinder on the FUJIFILM X-Pro2 and X-Pro1 cameras. ・ The aperture ring and focus ring have just the right amount of clicking and torque for great operability.

***Having part of the lens hood or lens barrel covering the corners of the view through an optical viewfinder

Fast and silent autofocus ・ The inner-focus AF system*4 uses a stepping motor to drive lightweight focusing elements for silent and fast autofocus. When combined with the phase detection AF system of FUJIFILM X-Pro2, X-T2, the lens can focus in an astonishing 0.05 seconds*5. *4 An AF system that moves relatively small lens elements in the middle or at the rear for focusing *5 Using an internal measurement method compliant with the CIPA Guidelines, with the High Performance mode turned on

Weather and dust resistant, capable of operating at temperatures as low as -10°C ・ The lens barrel is sealed to make it weather and dust resistant, and capable of operating at temperatures as low as -10°C. When mounted on the weather and dust-resistant mirrorless digital cameras FUJIFILM X-Pro2, X-T1 and X-T2, you can shoot in light rain or a dusty environment with peace of mind.

Optional accessories ・ This lens can be used with the vented metal hood LH-XF35-2, which is also compatible with the XF35mmF2 R WR. ・ Coinciding with the launch of the XF23mmF2 R WR, a silver version of the lens hood LH-XF35-2 will also be released, allowing users to choose an optional hood that matches the colour of the lens.

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